Testing 17 ft trailer life

[float5]

It was a CAT scale that I used that was 100 lbs. off.

Also had 160 lbs. difference between it and a state scale.

[blhvet]

Originally Posted by BCnomad

Welcome to the dark side. Happy hour's at 4.

I'll be there - with ice - cause my RV has a freezer!!! 😉

[blhvet]

I bought a 2017 Kia Sorento with a V6, 4wd, which means a 5000 pound towing capacity. With options and semi loaded I am thinking a 19 foot should come in around 3700 pounds. As one person noted, there are more factors than just towing capacity. The V6 seems fairly gutless.

Alan, I tow my 17B with a 2016 Sorento EX with the same engine. There is NO shortage of power. If you haven't yet learned about driving it in Sport mode, do it. It's basically like having a manual transmission with no clutch and is amazing for towing. I keep my rpm around 3000 and it doesn't lose much speed on big hills/mountains.

My concern is with how much the rear end drops with the trailer hooked up - the chains almost drag on the ground, even with tires inflated to max pressure. I've been told there aren't air bags for the vehicle. My advice would be to have ETI install a WDH - I wish I had now - might bring it up a little, and their installed price is less than I can get the hitch for.

There is one other member towing with a Sorento - I think they have a 19. Might want to do a search for "Sorento". Good luck! I love my Sorento, and it tows way better than my Nissan Xterra did!

[float5]

There are unibody cars whose manufacturers prohibit using a WDH. Again without GCWR, no one can know what a vehicle's actual towing capacity is and the number you are given may be very misleading.

[AlanR]

Originally Posted by blhvet

Alan, I tow my 17B with a 2016 Sorento EX with the same engine. There is NO shortage of power. If you haven't yet learned about driving it in Sport mode, do it. It's basically like having a manual transmission with no clutch and is amazing for towing. I keep my rpm around 3000 and it doesn't lose much speed on big hills/mountains.

My concern is with how much the rear end drops with the trailer hooked up - the chains almost drag on the ground, even with tires inflated to max pressure. I've been told there aren't air bags for the vehicle. My advice would be to have ETI install a WDH - I wish I had now - might bring it up a little, and their installed price is less than I can get the hitch for.

There is one other member towing with a Sorento - I think they have a 19. Might want to do a search for "Sorento". Good luck! I love my Sorento, and it tows way better than my Nissan Xterra did!

First, thanks for the tip on sport mode. I didn't know.

Sounds like you at the person to ask. I keep reading I need to find out the GCWR on a Sorento, but I haven't found it. Any thoughts?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by AlanR

I keep reading I need to find out the GCWR on a Sorento, but I haven't found it. Any thoughts?

I checked the manual, but didn't see it. The GVWR and both GAWRs will be on the placard (typically on the driver's door frame) but few if any vehicles have the GCWR shown there. I would call Kia customer service (the company, not a dealership) and ask; that worked for me with Ford for my Focus.

[blhvet]

I'm not able to find the GCWR. I'll keep looking.

[NCBill]

Originally Posted by blhvet

I'm not able to find the GCWR. I'll keep looking.

Google.

Sorrento Payload Rating

Payload rating plus empty weight of car plus tow rating = GCWR. You will run out of tongue weight rating long before running out of GCWR, which is common. My F150 has a tow rating of 9,800, but I run out of payload at less than 6,000 pounds.


Of greater concern is the maximum tongue weight. From light googling, looks to be 350 pounds. If so, a 19 footer is OUT, Escape 17B is marginal. More in depth googling should be undertaken to verify.

Whether someone else does it or not, does not make it right. I saw a Honda Fit towing a Boler recently.



Kia Sorento: Vehicle load limit - Driving your vehicle - Kia Sorento XM Owners Manual

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by NCBill

Payload rating plus empty weight of car plus tow rating = GCWR.

No, unfortunately that is not correct in general. That F-150, for instance, will almost certainly have a GCWR equal to only the curb (empty) weight (or curb plus driver allowance) plus the tow rating, so any payload carried in the truck (beyond a driver of standard weight) will cut into the available capacity for trailer weight.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is curb weight plus payload (that's how payload is determined).

• In the "best" case, the GCWR really is as high as GVWR + trailer - tongue weight... but that is unusual. I had a Ford Focus, and this was true for one year of that car... but the trailer rating was only 1000 pounds.
• In the "worst" case, GCWR is curb + trailer weight. That's typical of pickup trucks; it leaves nothing for passengers or cargo when towing the maximum rated trailer.

My van is in the middle: I can carry about half a ton of passengers, cargo, and tongue weight in combination with towing the full rated trailer weight. That's not as much payload as without a trailer, but a lot more than the zero allowed with the full rated trailer by most trucks.

If you're lucky, the Sorento will be the ideal case, but that would be

curb weight: 4,101to 4,343 lb (depending on trim and equipment)
payload: 930 lb (for 5-seater) or 1120 lb (for 7-seater) - from the owners manual
trailer: 5000 lb (V6)
Total: 10,031 to 10,463 lb

Maybe... but I wouldn't bet on it. On the other hand, the manual doesn't even mention GCWR, or a reduction of towing capacity with passenger and cargo weight (unlike essentially every other similar vehicle), so maybe the Sorento is this ideal case.

GVWR for a V6 AWD Sorento is 5622 pounds, so GCWR could be as high as 10,622... but it could be as low as 9101 lb plus a driver allowance (so perhaps about 9300 lb). That's a substantial range, and that's why it makes sense to ask Kia.

[NCBill]

Regardless, with a tongue weight max of 350 pounds, it runs out quick. Figure 10 to 13% of a trailer's weight for tongue weight. Ignore trailer dry weight ratings, as those are unrealistic. Fiberglass forum has a nice trailer weights in the real world spreadsheet, using data supplied by trailer owners.

GCWR of my F150: 15,200 pounds. Max tow rating: 9,800 pounds. Payload rating of 1,450 pounds.

Since the weight of my truck is ~ 5,400 pounds, lister above is correct, my GCWR is just the tow weight rating plus the weight of the truck. Payload comes out of the total.

[float5]

The manufacturer has to provide the GCWR. You cannot make it up yourself from other numbers. It may not be nearly what one would guess and would change the actual towing capacity. It could be that the towing capacity is not really the 5,000 stated. That is why I keep saying to get the GCWR. The fact that the GCWR has yet to be found, makes one wonder if the towing capacity is really less than 5,000, but no telling until the manufacturer's number is found.

Originally Posted by NCBill

Google.

Sorrento Payload Rating

Payload rating plus empty weight of car plus tow rating = GCWR. You will run out of tongue weight rating long before running out of GCWR, which is common. My F150 has a tow rating of 9,800, but I run out of payload at less than 6,000 pounds.


Of greater concern is the maximum tongue weight. From light googling, looks to be 350 pounds. If so, a 19 footer is OUT, Escape 17B is marginal. More in depth googling should be undertaken to verify.

Whether someone else does it or not, does not make it right. I saw a Honda Fit towing a Boler recently.



Kia Sorento: Vehicle load limit - Driving your vehicle - Kia Sorento XM Owners Manual

[float5]

Originally Posted by NCBill

GCWR of my F150: 15,200 pounds. Max tow rating: 9,800 pounds. Payload rating of 1,450 pounds.

Since the weight of my truck is ~ 5,400 pounds, lister above is correct, my GCWR is just the tow weight rating plus the weight of the truck. Payload comes out of the total.

Assuming that the manufacturer gave you the figure of 15,200, that works fine for your GCWR. That does not work out on countless other vehicles, especially many of the ones that are used to tow small fiberglass trailers.

[NCBill]

Originally Posted by float5

Assuming that the manufacturer gave you the figure of 15,200, that works fine for your GCWR. That does not work out on countless other vehicles, especially many of the ones that are used to tow small fiberglass trailers.

YEs, I took it directly from the manufacturer. https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/...vF150sep09.pdf

Regardless of the GCWR discussion, what about the manufacturers stated tongue weight max of 350 pounds?

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by NCBill

...what about the manufacturers stated tongue weight max of 350 pounds?

That's the max. Means that vehicle would perhaps be within specs for a 17 (you'd have to weigh the tongue with a scale) but not a 19 or larger.

You're right about the fact that people do it anyway. I'm not one of them. The numbers either work or they don't, and have very little to do with anecdotes - just math.


Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[float5]

Originally Posted by NCBill

YEs, I took it directly from the manufacturer. https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/...vF150sep09.pdf

Regardless of the GCWR discussion, what about the manufacturers stated tongue weight max of 350 pounds?

Well, often that number is about 10% of the towing capacity so perhaps that is a clue as to why no one has found the GCWR. 5000 and 350, can't say I have seen that before. Assuming that is for the very same model.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by NCBill

Of greater concern is the maximum tongue weight. From light googling, looks to be 350 pounds. If so, a 19 footer is OUT, Escape 17B is marginal. More in depth googling should be undertaken to verify.

I noticed discussion of the Sorento's tongue weight limit in a Kia forum. It was apparently mis-printed as 350 pounds in the owner's manual for a while, probably because someone missed updating it from its previous value (to go with a trailer weight rating of 3500 pounds) to the current value of 500 pounds (to go with a trailer weight rating of 5000 pounds).

Originally Posted by NCBill

Regardless, with a tongue weight max of 350 pounds, it runs out quick.

Originally Posted by float5

Well, often that number is about 10% of the towing capacity so perhaps that is a clue as to why no one has found the GCWR. 5000 and 350, can't say I have seen that before. Assuming that is for the very same model.

Good reasoning, but in this case the "350" value was just a typo. The owner's manual currently available online from Kia shows the tongue weight rating as 500 pounds for the version of the vehicle (those with the V6 engine) having a 5000 pound trailer weight rating.

There are vehicles which have a tongue weight rating of 6% to 8% of the trailer weight rating (this would be 7%)... but rarely in North America. Subaru is the most common exception to the 10% rule of thumb. Kia does follow the 10% practice... when not printing typos.

[float5]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Good reasoning, but in this case the "350" value was just a typo. The owner's manual currently available online from Kia shows the tongue weight rating as 500 pounds for the version of the vehicle (those with the V6 engine) having a 5000 pound trailer weight rating.

Well, that's fine. Then that explains that.

But we still don't know what is what without a GCWR.

[rjbny]

Originally Posted by AlanR

Am I off base to consider a 19 foot a bad idea?

I bought a 2017 Kia Sorento with a V6, 4wd, which means a 5000 pound towing capacity. With options and semi loaded I am thinking a 19 foot should come in around 3700 pounds. As one person noted, there are more factors than just towing capacity. The V6 seems fairly gutless.

I having driven a school bus and an ambulance that was really wide. I learned adding width scares me as much or more as length. I learned on the school bus, trying to avoid the heavy braking I can do with my car can get me nervous. So adding admittedly only 4 inches width but also more pounds and therefore less braking just seems like a bad idea.

This photo shows a Sorento towing a 19 up in MN. I don't know if the owner is on the forum or not, but they would be able to tell you first hand.

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f7...tml#post201834